The sun is shining, the bells are ringing, everyone is on holiday and now is a time for family, fun, games , outings ,giving and recieving.

If you happen to be in the Western Cape at this wonderful time of year there are so many things to do!Besides the beaches, forests and wonderful places like the aquarium, monkey town in Somerset West, Spiers cheetah farm, family friendly picnic areas and birds of Prey Sanctuary in Stellenbosch, the Zoo in Tygerberg or a visit to Ratunga Junction, a day at the gorgeous Kirstenbosch Gardens, The World of Birds in Hout Bay, the wonderful child orientated plays and ballets happening at the Baxter and Artscape ( My daughter and I recently checked out High School Musical at the Artscape! Wow, what a production, totally worth the price tag!) Bugz World in Tygerberg, the museums full of discoveries waiting to happen and so much more, Cape Town has an action packed day for every day ahead and for most of us this is great, but take a moment to spare some time and thought for those less fortunate than ourselves. You may think whats a thought, you may think what can I do to make a difference, well we can all make a difference in our own little way..

Over the past weekend my daughter was lucky enough to meet Santa and bring light to the life of an underprivileged child at the same time in Marina Da Gama.What fun! Santa arrived on a boat along with Mrs Clause and presents in tow. The price to take part in this fantastic experience, we brought a present for my daughter and a present for an underprivileged child! What an inititive.I was proud to be able to take part. The children were called by name and given their gifts. It was smiles and joy all round, a wonderful vibe to say the least!

Something we can all do to make a difference without having to make a dent in our already stretched wallets, while impacting positively on a number of peoples lives, is to go through your closet, your toy boxes and even your house. If you havent seen or used an item in over 6 months, you probably wont be using it anytime soon, so why not donate. In our family the thing we do at this time of year is clear our wardrobes and house of things we no longer need to donate either to Red Cross or Orphanages in the area. This year was the first time my daughter also got to take part in this long held family tradition ( as far back as I remember we have always done this) . Surprisingly she had no qualms with letting go of her old unused clothes and toys, knowing that she would be adding a little light to the lives of children less fortunate than herself. It has definately given her something to be proud of and the letter she recieved ( which was addressed to her) put a big proud smile on her face and mine!

So share the love this festive season and light up the life of not only those less fortunate than you but also your own and that of your childrens, count your blessings, teach your children the true meaning of sharing and spirit and what christmas is really all about, sharing, good will and peace to all. Happy Holidays!

Why would you want or need an au pair? Its a good question! Personally speaking I want to know that my daughter always has the care love and attention she deserves, but we understand that with the hectic schedules of modern day life, as a parent one cannot always be by their side 24 hours a day. Parents play the important role of primary provider and an au pair can play a vital supportive role in our children’s lives, making the time we spend with our children, quality time.

In the traditional sense, an au pair, is defined as a young person living with a family abroad caring for the family’s children and doing light house work.

However in South Africa, today, an au pair is much more than this. An au pair in South Africa, is a professional, responsible, experienced and even trained person who cares for the child’s entire welfare whilst in his or her care. An au pair is expected to do a lot more than just supervise the children.

It should be remembered that the parents should always be the primary care providers and role models for their children and au pairs can support the parents in achieving this goal by contributing to the childrens vital support network. An au pair helps with daily activities related to the child’s needs, from lifting to helping with homework, preparing healthy snacks and filling the children’s days with fun, age appropriate activities. This leaves time for mom and dad to relax with their children and enjoy a healthy relationship which ultimately will provide the basis to develop the communication and trust needed between children and parents as they get older.

We know it takes lots of love, care and personal attention to develop a child to his or her full potential and every child deserves that chance. As children grow, so do the influences they are susceptible to outside the home. Having an au pair ensures that your children are cared for in the comfort of your home. The au pair will provide fun and learning opportunities in an environment safe for your children. What’s more, is that you will have more control over your child’s situation, you will get regular report backs on progress and activities, behavior patterns and this means that you will have a better chance of helping your children reach their full potential. Hiring an au pair provides you with the ability to spend your evenings/time with your children uninterrupted by homework, cooking and other child related chores. An au pair helps with the development of your child by balancing schoolwork, sport (extra-mural activities) and other activities of daily life.

Choosing an au pair is one the best things you can do for your child/children no matter how old they are. Children are influenced by friends, the media, teachers and other influential adults. Having some control over who these influences are, can only have a positive effect on your children’s lifestyle and over-all development.

I believe in this concept and would recommend an au pair for children of any age as long as you have thoroughly established your needs and done research to ensure that these needs can be met by a person capable of doing so.

In reflection, 2008 has been an amazing, trying and yet progress packed year for most of us including myself. Every challenge considered and so many lessons learned, it has all lead to progress in our lives and yet now it’s the time of the year that everyone needs a little quality family time. School holidays are going into full stride this week, and many are enjoying their annual leave. Summer has arrived and the sun is shining!

Now its unfortunate but true, its not very often where one has the opportunity to take exclusive quality time out with the ones we love, whether your children, parents, family or friends. Sure, all year round we have weekends and afternoons, bedtime stories, braais, picnics, walks, dinners and so much more fun time with those closest to our hearts on a day to day basis. All too often though, we end up spending this time with our thoughts a million miles away, distracted and wrapped up in work, technology, daily chores, bills, what we are having for dinner, and the many other aspects of life we need to worry about. This diminishes the value of these precious moments and after the last 4 days I have now come to the conclusion, that it needs to be reiterated that spending time out, time in the sun and time with the people you love most in the world is sometimes worth more than doing or thinking about anything else.

I must say thank you to all our clients and staff that bore with us for the last 4 days while we closed for the first time since we opened for business almost 2 years ago. I have honestly not taken a single day without checking, or at least having the ability to check email or receive phone calls, so much so that any and all time out, when we have gone away for a weekend was planned almost entirely around cell phone reception.

This year we decided on visiting Wilderness Nature Reserve, which is one of the most breath taking, captivating and somewhat magical places I have seen or had the pleasure of seeing in my life. I will admit, I was extremely uneasy about not having access to reception, I worried, perhaps I would let someone down, in hindsight I am so grateful for that time.The peace of knowing I could not check an email and that I could not receive calls, the clarity and silence in my mind suddenly felt like a dream, like being a child in a way, able to have a small and yet infinite amount of time without worrying about anything. What bliss, 4 days later I feel entirely reconnected to all of those in my life whom I love and cherish most.

We went canoeing, hiking, swimming in the waterfalls (surprisingly child friendly waterfalls) and the fresh water river, braaied and chilled. We went to visit Sedgefield (a tiny town just past Wilderness) on the Friday where I found the most stunning dress for my daughter and on our way back we stopped in at the fairy Sanctuary in Swellendam. If you ever are in the area, this is Swellendam’s claim to fame, and well worth a visit especially if you have a daughter with you.

While we were there I found 2 amazing books in their fairy shop, written by Dr Wayne Dyers:
• Incredible You! 10 Ways to let your greatness shine through
• Unstoppable Me!: 10 Ways to Soar Through Life

These books are brilliant, absolutely brilliant, books for children, teaching so much more than any other children’s books I know of currently, for children of any age. The pages and illustrations speak to you and your child, and the book end questions in the last pages, encourages your child to really thoroughly grip the messages being sent through these books.

If you intend buying your child a book this year, even if it is only one book, I highly recommend both of these books for your shopping list.

All in all , being back home now, re-energized and ready for the new year was worth every second, so go on, take time out, leave your work alone for just a few days, don’t give yourself a choice in the matter and enjoy the time out to concentrate purely on the yourself and the ones you love! Happy Holidays!